GOP Sen. Rand Paul cautioned against nominating Elliott Abrams as deputy secretary of State, noting his neoconservative leanings directly conflict with President Donald Trump’s stated foreign policy positions.
Trump was adamant during the campaign his administration would put an end to nation-building, while Abrams, the former assistant secretary of state for Inter-American Affairs, has been a strong proponent — has been a strong supporter of the war in Iraq.
“I don’t think it makes sense to put people in ranking positions, shaping policy, who don’t agree with your policy, so you know, Donald Trump has been very clear on the campaign trail and as president that he doesn’t believe in nation-building, and yet Abrams is the king of nation-building,” Paul told The Daily Caller News Foundation.“He does it even (nation building) when he’s told not to — he’s busily involved.“
The Kentucky Republican argued, having been convicted of withholding information from Congress during the Iran-Contra affair during the Reagan years, for which he was later pardoned, is an indication Abrams is unqualified to fill the role.
“The law, I believe, back then prevented them from doing it, so they secretly got money from the Sultan of Brunei, exchanged it for weapons in Iran and then somehow got weapons or money into Nicaragua,” Paul continued. “And really, I think we need more oversight of covert war and war in general. We don’t need somebody that’s been convicted of not telling the truth to Congress, and so I think it’s a big deal that— telling the truth is a big deal, and oversight is a big deal.”
Paul suggested a number of other potential candidates with impressive credentials that would fall in line with the administration’s goals are being overlooked, adding he’s hopeful Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be successful in his position.
“You know, I would say that there are probably thousands of people who have had State Department experience at the level of assistant secretary that would be good in this position,” he continued. “In fact, I would just try to avoid mainly the people who said ‘Never Trump.’ I mean, some of the comments were quite disparaging, you know.”
Paul said Abrams’ past criticisms of the president should be taken into account by the administration before a final decision is made.
“We found one quote from Abrams where he specifically says that Donald Trump is absolutely wrong on nation building, so I think it’s important, particularly in the nominations game, that you not listen to what people say after they want the job,” he said. “You need to listen to what they said before they wanted the job.”
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